Senate: The Daily 10

POLITICO’s daily tracker of the 10 most competitive Senate races in the country — measuring polling, advertising strategy, the latest developments on the trail and other intangibles – debuts today, as the 2010 cycle races to the finish. The higher the ranking, the closer the race – 1 being the most competitive and 10 being the least. A look at Monday’s developments:

1. ILLINOIS – Just one public poll over the last month has shown either Alexi Giannoulias or Rep. Mark Kirk with a lead of more than three points, making the race for the president’s former Senate seat the most unpredictable in the country. Democrats are screaming about a Chicago Sun-Times story that fingers Kirk for another alleged fib, this time over the extent of his involvement in a bill on Iran sanctions. But the story has yet to have gained the widespread media traction they had hoped for. Perhaps Illinois voters have accepted the lesser-of-two-evils choice before them? Still, any day that has the Kirk camp untangling the veracity of a story is a day that reminds voters of the congressman’s earlier misstatements on his military service.

2. NEVADA – Lincoln and Douglas they are not, but despite Sharron Angle’s eccentricities and Sen. Harry Reid’s inability to “man up”, one of them – unless “None of the Above” catches a late wave — will emerge as one of the most influential members of upper chamber next year. The latest Angle gaffe: Appearing to refer to a group of Hispanic high school students as Asians. But if you’re Reid supporter, the laughs aren’t as hearty or long-lasting these days. The punditocracy is increasingly giving a slight edge to the tea party’s top priority in this marquee match-up, but the smart bet is that there are more verbal slip-ups to come.

Who Won Monday: Push

Latest poll: Angle 50%, Reid 47% (Rasmussen 10/17, 750 likely voters)

3. COLORADO – Ken Buck’s campaign office likely turned off televisions Monday to avoid hearing their boss’s questionable answer on homosexuality played continuously. Any minute Buck isn’t talking about spending and the growth of government, he’s off his message by a Mile High. Sen. Michael Bennet’s camp could not have been happier with the opening to switch the terms of the debate to Buck’s “extreme” views that could be detrimental among women in the Denver metro area, where the appointed Democrat is betting on big margins to save his seat.